Lets Talk With Daric

[Swede]

Daric is waiting until 2017 because he has planned a Mule deer and antelope hunt for 2016 and to get in "elk shape".
Mule deer, antelope, and elk inhabit some of the same areas. Mule deer and elk on the same real estate is typical. Maybe Daric can see some good elk areas while on one of his other planned hunts.

2. What is elk shape? I sure hope it is not like preparing for an Olympic Marathon at 12,000 feet elevation. Truthfully, elk hunting can be enjoyed by a paraplegic or a very elderly person. No jokes here about seniors please. At 69 next season, I think I can be as lethal as you young whipper snappers. To me being in elk shape depends on how and where you hunt. If you kill a bull 5 miles in, and down in some awful hole, then you need to be in good enough shape to run a marathon, just to get it out unspoiled. I think some folks not familiar with elk hunting think it is running and climbing high alpine slopes nonstop. Some hunters even operate that way. I have sure taken a lot more elk after I turned 40 than before. Mostly this was due to slowing down and observing and showing more patience. As a mature male, I like being in good shape. I keep active and exercise daily, but no marathons.

What else?

[ddenney]

Lol. Thanks for that. My hunts will be in Nebraska. So kinda flat land compared to wyoming and colorado. And mostly i will be working out to "elk shape" for my lung power. I have asthma. And altitudes really screw with me.

[Indian Summer]

Nebraska! Isn't it extremely hard to draw a tag there?

[ddenney]

My antelope and muley hunts will be there. Only resident landowners i believe can draw for elk. But not far from where i hunted there last year a guy killed a 380+ bull. Has some monsters.

[ishy]

Don't fall into the trap that you have to be Cameron Haynes to pull off a good hunt. Biggest bull I have ever called in was 100 yards off a road.

[ddenney]

I think Cam Hanes is a beast. But i in no way will ever be in the shape he is in, nor do i want to look like he does. I just need to get a little weight off and asthma under control. Because right now i seriously doubt i could pack an elk out any distance. Lol

[Swede]

DD, You are right on about your personal goals. I just get nervous thinking some people may be spooked away from elk hunting thinking they need to be a Cam. Hanes. You don't have to be able to run a 5 minute mile at 10,000 feet over boulder up a 80% slope to be an elk hunter. Knowing elk and how to hunt them will always trump extreme physical fitness. Good luck

[WapitiTalk1]

Start early Daric. Yes, if you have the means and the drive, fitness is really a year round endeavor, but honestly, there is nothing that can truly prepare a hunter for the rigors and elevation changes associated with many types of elk hunting and hopefully packing one out. If a guy starts early in an elk hunting year with a solid resolve to get in elk woods shape, throwing a ruck on your back and hiking with progressively heavier loads, 4 to 5 times each week, up and down hills, will go a looong way in prepping the body for what's to come. No hills where you live? The local HS football stadium stairs will serve the purpose ...

[Kessler10]

Any Nebraska resident can apply and draw an elk tag in Nebraska. You DO NOT have to be a landowner. They recently established a point system for resident elk draw. Every year you apply for elk tag and dont draw your odds increase the next year. I believe they issue a few hundred last I checked. Anyone that draw will have an excellent chance to take a 350+ bull. No question about it. Very large Bulls out West and in the panhandle as well as up near the Niobrara River region in North central Nebraska.

[saddlesore]

I think all his hype about getting in shape is bull feces.

Round is a shape too

I'm going to be 73 this year, I have two 8" titanium rods in my back. Two completely torn thru rotator cuff tendons that can't be fixed,COPD, and several other maladies. I have killed an elk every year for at least the past 20 years and some years two. In 2015,I killed a moose, a bull elk,a buck whitetail deer and antelope . The only help I had was a friend helped me with the moose and my two mules.
I have taken younger guys with me to maybe help with camp chores etc. All I get is whining and them telling me elk hunting is too much work.I end up doing my work and theirs too.

You need two things, hunt smart, and the willingness and drive to give it all you got. I don't need to kill another elk in my life time,but when I go,I don't just go for a walk in the woods

[Hot Cow]

Hi Daric,
Do you live in Neb or just hunting here?

[elkstalker]

You definitely do not have to be able to run a marathon, however, I know that the years I put more time into training and fitness are way more enjoyable when it comes to hiking, hunting, and packing out elk.

[ddenney]

No i dont live in Nebraska i just hunt out there.

[Trophyhill]

It's been said that the better shape you are in, the more enjoyable your hunt will be. Guess I better get busy. I was 10 lbs over where I wanted my weight to be last year and came back 5 lbs under where I wanted to be when I went. A lot has to do with what you have in your heart. It's a marathon and not a sprint. I like to take my time working through areas anyways. I've hunted with a couple guys (and you know who you are ) who want up that mountain as fast as they can get there. Me? I'm happy to just to get there at some point and don't want to be in a hurry. So much gets passed up and missed when you haul azz up the mountain only to find out you have to go back down and up another one lol. Besides.......sometimes the tortious beats the hair.